Train-control communicating element



April 13 1926.

c. s. BUsHNr-:LL Y

TRAIN CONTROL COMMUN'IGATING ELEMENT Filed Feb. 25, 1924 l Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. BUSHNELL, OF'ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL RAIL- WAY SIGNAL COMPANY, F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

TRAIN-CONTROL COMMNICATIN G ELEMENT.

applicati@ sled February 25, 1924. serial No. 694,993.

. 30 sirable to employa magnetic core or To all lwhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLESl S. BUsH-.

NELL, a `citizen of the United States of America, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-Control Communicating Elements, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to inductive iniuence communicating apparatus for automatic train control systems, and more particularly to the core structure of in'uence communicating devices.

In applying automatic train control to railways it is found necessary to transmit vcontrol influences from the trackway to the moving train, .and on account ofthe didiculty experienced in transmitting such con- '20 trol influences by physical contact between the car-carried and trackway devices,

such influences are preferably transmitted through an intervening air gap.

Various expediencies ma be employed 25 for transmitting control in uences through an intervening air gap, of which the method of transmitting control iniiuences inductively has been foundvery satisfactory, and.

in employing this method itv is found dl;-

o e for this purpose. More specifically, 1t is proposed to employ a yoke of high grade magnetic-material having enlarged projecting pole pieces, yand in accordance with the present invention, it is proposed to vcon-y struct such aecore of laminated magneticmaterial in which the laminas are arranged in a vertical plane having its ends spread or fanned out, so to speak, whereby the 40 pole pieces may be conveniently attached to the laminas in a manner to reduce the reluctancev enerally and so las to make the reluctance rom any oint of a pole piece to the main body of tlie core structure substantially the esame.' u

Other objects, purposes, and characteristic features of the invention. will.l in part be Ypointed out and in part -be apparent from- In describing the invention, the core` structure embodying the same will for convenience be assumed to be a track device with the pole pieces extending upward as shown in Fig. 2, it, .of course, being understood that the device may equally as well be used as a car-carried-receiving element, in which event the pole pieces would face downward.

Referring to the drawings, there has been I shown a core 2 of magnetic material in which the back yoke, or main portion of the core is of general cruciform cross section as more clearly shown in Fig. 4. This cruciform cross section is preferable because it is possible to place a coil thereon which has its inside turns more nearly circular, and so that the corners of the core are not so apt to cut the insulation of such coil. The laminas for building up this co-re 2 consist of sheets, some of which have their body portion wide, as shown by the large dimensions in the cruciform cross section in Fig. 4, whereas the others have the. body portions much narrower, as shown by the side portion of this cruciform cross section,

the ends of each'sheet of the laminas being" to which the pole,

much larger toform le pieces are fastened, an being offset to one side as shown b the dotted lines in Fi These sets of lamin are piled up to fg the cruciform core shown and are then riveted together by rivets 1 to form the 'core 2 of the cross section shown. In the corners between the projecting ends and the' cruciform core are provided quarter rounds 3 constructed of suitable insulating material, such as wood, so that the core with is quarter rounds is of a rectangular cross section having rounded corners.

Near the ends of the cruciform cross sec# tion are clamps or cleats 4 which are bolted together by carriage bolts 5 which serve to hold the laminas together, and more parorm ticularly to hold the quarter rounds in position. These cleats are made of insulating material and serve as the end portion of a spool on which the coil C may be Wound or placed. The projecting ends of the laminas are divided into two parts after the cleats have been tightened down and are fanned or spread out, as shown in Fig. 1 to provide room for the wooden Wedge 6 driven or forced therein.

After this wedge 6 has been put into place the guard plates 7 fastened to the outside of the fanned laminae by bolts 8 and 9 passing through the laminae and the wedge 6, are applied. This wedge 6 not only serves as spacing means for the projecting laminze, but also serves as an anchor to which the pole pieces 10 may be secured, these pole pieces being fastened to the Wedges 6 by bolts 11. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 these bolts 11 have their heads counter-sunk into the pole piece 10 and pass through the Wedge 6 and a suitable clamping plate 12 preferably of non-magnetic material, this clamping plate bearing on both sides of the fanned laminte. This structure allows the pole pieces 10 to be firmly clamped in place Without injury to the wooden wedges 6. These bolts 11, in practice, are replaced by suitable bolts for mounting the element on a car so as to have the proper relation with the apparatus with which it is to inductively communicate, and if used as a track device the pole pieces are preferably supported in a suitable casing from which the core and coil structure are hung.

In order to further reduce the reluctance of the magnetic path of the core structure, the pole pieces 10 are provided with slots 13, extending from one edge thereof toward the center of the pole pieces. The provision of these slots 13 prevents the induction of eddy currents in the pole pieces 10 when the flux through the magnetic circuit of the inductor is charged due to the passage of a car carried element in close proximity thereto. e

The novel core structure embodying the present inventionis designed and arranged to withstand rough mechanical usage, is con` structed so as to include a stack of continuous laminae as distinguished from built-up laminae so as to have not only a minimum, but substantially the same reluctancel between substantially any pointof the pole pieces 10 to the cruciform back yoke or main portion of the core. In this structure the wedges 6 provide a simple means whereby the pole pieces may be fastened to the laminated core in a manner to provide good magnetic contact between the edges of the laminae and these pole pieces. In practice, the edges of the laminae to which the pole pieces 10 are to be fastened are faced so that a good magnetic contact may be made when the bolts 11 are tightened down, the wedges 6 serving further to maintain the fanned portion of the laminae in the desired position so as to divide the core into two parts. This latter feature, as heretofore mentioned, reduced the reluctance of the whole core structure considerably without increasing the amount of magnetic material employe Having thus shown a single specific embodiment of the invention, it is desired to be understoodl that this has been done to illustrate the nature of the invention rather than its scope, and that various changes and modifications may be made to adapt4 the invention to the particular type ofsystems to which it is to be applied Without departing from the scope of the invention or the idea of means underlying the same.

What I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. A core structure for influence communicating apparatus for automatic train control systems comprising, a stack of alminae of magnetic material fastened together along an intermediate porti-on and having its ends spread out into a plurality of branches, and pole pieces fastened to the branched portion of said laminae. l,

2. A core structurefor influence communicating apparatus for automatic train controly systems comprising, a stack of lamina: of magnetic material fastened together along an intermediate portion and having its ends spread out into a plurality of branches, and blocks fastened between the` branched ends of said laminae.

3. A core structure for inliuence communicating apparatus for automatic train control systems comprising, a stack of laminae of magnetic material fastened together along an intermediate portion and having its ends spread out into a plurality of branches, blocks fastened between the branched ends of said laminaa, and pole pieces fastened to said blocks.

f4. An influence communicating element for automatic train control systems comprising, a core consisting of -a stack of laminae of magnetic material fastened together along an intermediate portion and having its` end spread out into a plurality of branches, pole pieces fastened to the branched portion of said laminae and a coil on said core.

5. An influence communicating element for automatic train control systems comprising, a core consisting of a stack of laminae of magnetic material fastened together along an intermediate portion and having its ends spread out into a pluralit of branches, blocks fastened between. the branched ends of said laminae, and a coil on said core.

6. An inuence communicating element for automatic train control systems coniprising, .'a core consisting of Ia ustack of laminae vof magnetic material fastened together along anY intermediate 'portion and having its ends spread outinto a plurality of branches, blocks fastened between the branched endsof saidlaminae, pole pieces fastened to said blocks, and a coil surrounding said core.

7. An influence communicating element for automatic train control systems comprising, a core consisting of a 'stack lof laminas of magnetic material, said lamin being fastened together along an intermediate portion, clamps surrounding said core at points adjacent to its ends, and a coil on said core between said clamps. y

8. An influence communicating element for automatic train control systems co-mprising, a core consisting of a stack of laminae of magnetic material, said laminae being fastened together along an intermedisecured/about said lcore at points spaced from its ends, the ends of said core being spread into a plurality of branches beyond said clamps, blocks fastened to said core between its spread ends, a pole piece fastened to each block, and a coil on said core ben tween said clamps'.

10. An influence communicating element for automatic train control systems comprising, a core of magnetic material, and pole pieces having slots in the edges therea of secured to the extremities of said core. 11. An influence communicating element for automatic train control systems coni= prising, a core consisting of a stack of laminae of magnetic material and pole pieces secured to the extremities of said core, each of said pole pieces having a slot therein extending from the edge toward the center thereof. i

12. An influence communicating element for automatic train control systems come prising, a core consisting of a stack of laminae of magnetic material, the end of said core being spread into two branches, a block located between said branchesfa plate on the outside of each of said branches, bolts passing through said plates, said branches and said block and acting to secure 4said. members together, and a pole piece bolted to said block in .engagement with said` branched ends. l I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. CHARLES S. BUSH-NELL. 

